1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to a towing vehicle and in particular to a trailer recovery vehicle for supporting and towing a trailer which is generally unsuitable for traveling over highways in a manner which enables a driver of a tractor to operate the tractor in a normal manner while towing the trailer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Through the twentieth century, tractor trailer trucks have become an increasingly important part of the commercial transport system which provides for the shipment of raw materials, produce and manufactured goods. Many trailers have been in use for decades, and as time has gone by, inevitably, a number of them have deteriorated to a point where they are no longer roadworthy. Additionally, periodic changes in highway safety laws and regulations have resulted in a large number of trailers which can no longer be legally transported on the national highway systems. Many of these unroadworthy trailers, now effectively stranded in truckyards and other remote locations, could be reconditioned or recycled if they could be transported to the appropriate facilities. Accordingly, a need exists for a system to allow for safe and legal transportation of these unroadworthy trailers.
Prior art systems have been developed to allow the transport of trailers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,962 discloses a system wherein a plurality of flat bed trailers may be stacked for simultaneous transport. U.S. Pat. No. 2,971,478 discloses a flatbed railway vehicle adapted for transport of semitrailers. While each of these designs are suitable for their intended purpose, neither would be useful for the highway towing of a trailer such as a semitrailer.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a recovery vehicle and method for legally towing a trailer which is unsafe or would otherwise fail to meet current highway safety standards.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a recovery vehicle and method for towing a trailer which is stable and results in a minimal increase in the height of the trailer to prevent clearance problems with bridges and other overhanging obstacles.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a recovery vehicle and method for easily towing a trailer which may be adapted to fit a variety of trailers and which allows a trailer to be transported while normally connected to a tractor, thereby providing increased stability and normal towing operation.